


do i need you to survive?

by cryystal_m00n



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Veterinarians, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Time Skips, Wet Dream, a lot of cats, cat pregnancy, oblivious taeil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2020-11-23 12:16:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20891969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryystal_m00n/pseuds/cryystal_m00n
Summary: taeil's life gets turned upside down when he finds out his cat is expecting. with the kittens on their way, a hot veterinarian by his side and far too much money spent on food and toys, taeil begins to wonder if he will make it out alive.#S059





	do i need you to survive?

**Author's Note:**

> thank you damla for betaing this and putting up with the dumb animal names i gave each and every one of them  
i hope i did justice to this prompt even if the cat isn't ill like the prompter wanted it to be. maybe they will enjoy a bunch of cats more than just one of them  
enjoy!!!

taeil should’ve realized nacho has been acting weird -- weirder than usual -- for the past few weeks now. at first, taeil thought she got dumped by one of her boyfriends or girlfriends since she started spending more and more time inside his apartment, so he didn’t pay too much attention to the cat. he left the balcony door open, as he always did to give her access to the outside world, put her the normal amount of food she’d usually eat, gave her pats and kisses when she was willing, but that was about it. 

it’s late at night when he finally notices something is off with nacho. it’s nearing two am, and nacho has been meowing and scratching the door to the bathroom for at least half an hour. taeil sighs, pushing his unfinished work aside and walking over to where the cat is staring at the door. 

he opens it, but when she still stands there, not even daring to take a step, he frowns. is there a ghost or demon in his apartment again? maybe it really is time to stop letting jisung hold parties where he and his friends call the spirits into the real world. 

a few seconds pass with nothing out of the ordinary happening. taeil looks at nacho, nacho looks at taeil, almost mockingly. but then, as the man wants to turn and go back to his papers, nacho finally moves. she moves two steps forward, almost breaks her back as she starts to heave, and then… she throws up. 

“fuck, shit,” taeil curses, rushing in the bathroom to take a few pieces of toilet paper. this hasn’t happened in what seems like years. nacho is healthy, and the food taeil gives her doesn’t upset her stomach. not even the one she sometimes steals from her affairs does that, so of course taeil worries. 

he cleans the vomit as fast as he can, wincing when he notices tiny blood droplets in it, before carefully picking his baby up. she rests her head on his arm, eyes falling shut. 

_ nonononono_, _ you can’t die on me little one. _

he rushes out of the apartment, only his phone in his pocket, and runs down the stairs, running as fast as he can towards the clinic where nacho is registered. on a good day, if he’s simply walking, he gets there in thirty minutes, but now, in the dead of the night, running as if his life depends on it, he manages to reach the vet in under fifteen minutes. 

nacho still looks sick, but besides the sickness which is obvious, she also looks exhausted. her body must be in pain, who knows what is going on inside of it. 

the boy at the front desk looks up from his phone, his tired eyes watching taeil carefully. he’s pretty sure his name is jungwoo, but at a closer look, he doesn’t look like the jungwoo he knew. this truly shows how often he’s been missing nacho’s check-ins.

“is your cat ok, dude?” 

taeil looks at nacho, at the boy, then back at nacho. “no!” 

“uh, ok… c’mon jeno, you got this,” he says to himself, standing up to show taeil the way. “what are the symptoms of your cat?”

“where’s jungwoo?”

“dead.” at taeil’s horrified expression, jeno laughs and waves him off. “probably getting his cheeks slapped. or clapping my cousin’s cheeks. depends on the day, but it’s probably xuxi’s turn today.” nacho meows in pain. “right! symptoms for your cat, good sir?”

pushing the headache that is threatening to come away, taeil sighs and holds the cat closer. “she threw up blood… well, not straight-up blood, but there were drops of it. she hasn’t done this in a long time, so i have no idea what could’ve caused it and--”

“mhm, well, i’ll let the doc know there is a patient, you hold tight, bro,” as he says this, he bangs on the door which, if taeil remembers correctly, is the one where old doctor kim worked. 

the one who opens the door _ isn’t _old man kim, but someone way younger. the doctor does look like him though, so he guesses this must be his infamous nephew. 

“jeno, i swear if you want me to kill a spider again,” he sighs, not even realizing that taeil is standing there, holding his maybe dying cat. _ oh my god, my cat is dying_. 

“what do you mean your cat is dying?!” he hears the doctor yell, finally having noticed him. 

jeno sighs, taking the orange cat from taeil and giving her to probably-old-kim’s-nephew-but-maybe-not. “fix it.” with that and _ only _that, he closes the door and makes his way back to the front desk. 

taeil is left there, stunned, to stare at the white door and hope that his baby will come back from the other side in one piece. 

“you might wanna take a seat. doyoung is really thorough when it comes to his furry patients,” jeno calls out, but before taeil can get a chance to even ask the boy for at least a bit more information on the chances of him losing his child, he picks up his phone again and starts talking in broken chinese to whoever is on the other end of his call. 

taeil can pick up _ cat_, _ idiot_, and _ hot_, but that’s about all he learned from hearing sicheng rant about his japanese boy toy/long-time crush. 

so, reluctantly, taeil walks over to the sitting area and plops himself down on one of the corgi-butt shaped chairs. they’re incredibly uncomfortable, but taeil can’t bring himself to care at this moment. 

the same way as every worried parent who has no idea what a simple cold looks like does, taeil googles nacho’s symptoms. his eyes scan through numerous blogs which either say that his cat has at least three different types of cancer or that it’s had a miscarriage, which… surely, he’d know if his cat was pregnant, right?

he closes his phone with a sigh, settling a bit more comfortably in the chair. he waits and waits, hours passing, night turning into day, fall into winter, when finally, the door opens once again, doyoung stepping out with nacho in his arms. 

she looks better, as if the vet took each and every organ of hers and explained that it’s healthy and well functioning and that there is no need for her to be worried about needing to have her spleen removed. 

“she’s just pregnant,” the doctor states, scratching her behind one of her ears. 

the world freezes, the record that plays bad 90’s music on repeat scratches until it is dead silence. 

“nacho, why are you so horny? you _ know _i can’t be a grandpa now!” he whines. the cat just licks her paw, unbothered by the fact that taeil is having a mental breakdown right in front of her. 

jeno full-on howls, startling both men and the cat. he coughs when doyoung glares at him, “go on, don’t mind me. kunhang was telling me about how cute dejun is!”

“she’s in her second week, third at most. i’d guess she didn’t break the news to you,” doyoung jokes. it’s clearly meant to lighten the mood, but it’s almost four in the morning now and taeil is running on coffee and pure spite to show his boss and taeyong he can get his work done, and when the vet tells him that the moment nacho will give birth is nearing, he breaks down. 

crying in a vet clinic, at four in the morning, after having found out that your cat is pregnant and that you need to focus your life on helping her raise her kids since the dad decided to leave without paying child support, while the vet who told you this is watching you with a concerned look isn’t quite how taeil thought his day, well, night, would go. 

but here he is, crying in a vet clinic, at four in the morning, after having found out that his cat is pregnant and that he needs to focus his life on helping her raise her kids since the dad decided to leave without paying child support, while the vet who told him this is watching him with a concerned look. 

the tarot reading he watched was right, after all. 

* * *

**_fourth week._ **

he’s more stressed about the pregnancy than nacho is. he spends his work hours worrying over the fact that she is alone at home, where there are countless ways she could hurt herself. he barely manages to get any sleep nowadays, jumping awake the moment she makes a noise. 

if donghyuck is right, he already has white hair, and it’s only been a week at most since he got the news. 

nacho, on the other hand, doesn’t give a single shit about it. she sleeps, eats the expensive food taeil buys her, and even comes to greet the human when he comes home in the evening. now that her sickness is gone, she is back to acting like her usual self, which taeil is happy about. 

on top of the bills he has to pay for food, there are the vet visits, which, since taeil is so scared nacho may have a miscarriage, happen almost daily. he finds himself in the waiting room of doctor kim’s clinic so often that doyoung isn’t even phased anymore when jeno yells at him that he is waiting. 

but even with the persistent visits and constant worries that seem to start pouring out whenever he’s in the same room with doyoung, said man isn’t bothered with taeil. or, at the very least, he is far too good at pretending.

his acting is so put together that he goes as far as giving taeil his personal number, telling him that it will be easier for the man to contact him if he has any questions, instead of just coming to the clinic every time. he also tells taeil that he wouldn’t mind coming over to his place to help him. 

taeil thanks him, and thinks _ wow, he must be really dedicated to his job if he offers to come to everyone’s house in order to take care of their furry, scaley or feathery friend. _  


* * *

“so, he really told you that?” sicheng asks, sipping his coffee. he’s turned his chair so that he can face taeil, his work long forgotten. 

“yep. it’s nice, you know, that he loves his job so much he’s willing to help people like that,” taeil says, pushing the noodles around in his bowl. they’re a tad too soggy, but he’s too hungry to care. normally, he would’ve gone out to eat with sicheng and probably taeyong too, but today the latter is busy trying to finish a project, and sicheng is eating what looks to be a nice bento. 

“who loves his job? is it johnny? cause he doesn’t seem to know anything else other than work, you know?” seungwan barges in, draping herself across sicheng’s shoulders in a sly attempt to steal some of his food. 

“taeil’s vet,” sicheng responds, slapping her hand away with the chopsticks. he doesn’t enjoy sharing the food he brings to work, and he especially doesn’t like sharing his bentos. sicheng never said they’re made by yuta, but taeil _ knows_. he calls it a best friend instinct. seungwan calls it having eyes, since everyone can see the _ y.n. _ written on the boxes. 

“oh, so taeil’s a furry now?”

“i’m not!” 

at the same time, his friend, the one he calls his twin flame, says, “he is.” betrayal, that’s what he feels. 

“nacho’s pregnant,” he tells the woman, rolling his eyes when he can already see a smartass comment forming inside sicheng’s head. “don’t you dare insult her name when she is about to give birth to your future kids, chengie.”

“that sounds so fucked up,” sicheng sighs. he goes back to stuffing his face, moaning obscenely as he does so.

“so what did the vet do that made taeil crown him as some type of god?”

“he told me he’s willing to come by and help since i don’t have any experience with a pregnant lady.” taeil chooses to ignore the look both of them give him. the look that clearly says _ he is dumb_. 

“he likes you,” sicheng concludes.

seungwan, ever the romantic, adds, “he wants to get in your pants, dude.”

taeil just glares at them. there is no way doyoung wants that, especially when he looks _ that _ good in his white coat, sleeves rolled back to expose just the edges of some tattoo pieces. not in a million years would kim doyoung, son of artemis and aphrodite and probably apollo too, since his smile is as bright as the sun, even _ think _of looking at taeil like that. 

and, it’s not like taeil wants to even date anyone now that he will be a grandpa, no matter how hot the vet-- guy may be. 

* * *

nacho is already meowing loudly when he steps into the apartment. she’s waiting for him by the door, but the moment she sees him, she leaves, still meowing, back to the living room. 

“did donghyuck not feed you, baby? you want me to threaten him to shave his head again? would that make you feel better--”

doyoung is sitting awkwardly on his couch, not touching anything else. “hi?” he waves nervously, standing up too fast and hitting his knee of the coffee table in front of him. 

“did i give you a spare key?”

“no! your… brother, donghyuck? he told me you love him more than jisung? and then mentioned something about not being paid enough anyway, so he let me in.”

taeil sighs. “where is he?”

“left a while ago. not that i’ve been waiting for much! maybe half an hour!” nacho scoffs, jumping in doyoung’s arms and snuggling close to him, because she is a little traitor. “i brought her some stuff. she still needs to exercise and you told me she destroyed her favorite toy, so i got her some new ones.” her ears perk up when she hears the word toy, though taeil is sure the cat has this reaction because of _ destroyed_. 

“well, since you’re here, want something to drink?”

“coffee would be great, thank you.”

* * *

** _fifth week._ **

taeil closes his book with a sigh, letting it fall on the coffee table. thankfully, his mug doesn’t move. the tea shop is empty, safe for the barista behind the counter. 

the lady, however, doesn’t pay attention to him, leaving him to do as he pleases. taeil doesn’t go wild, too caught up in looking on the walls, reading the posters again and again. 

_ 5:47. _

he’s late. of course he fucking is, this is jisung, his brother is never one to get to somewhere at the right time. but today, it’s been over half an hour, and there is still no sign of his annoying little brother. 

his book is getting boring now that the main characters are together, chapter after chapter of painful pining having drown out the ecstasy he felt when he first picked it up, but he can’t bring himself to give up on it just yet. 

so, reluctantly, he picks it back up, hiding his face behind it as he begins to read again. 

over the course of more than half of the book, the main character has been _ so _ oblivious to the other guy’s feelings that it hurt taeil. who in their right mind wouldn’t notice that someone likes them? who in their right mind would just think that someone likes them just as friends when it’s _ obvious _they have deeper feelings? it’s surreal, and taeil is glad he’s not as oblivious. 

the chair in front of him moves, being pulled back by the newcomer, but taeil doesn’t rush to let the book down again, choosing instead to finish the page before doing so. when the volume is finally bookmarked, he places it next to his cup and looks up.

“why do you keep appearing any time i’m expecting to see my kids?”

doyoung raises an eyebrow. “your kids?” taeil’s own eyebrow raises in challenge. “i have to buy some more tea for a friend, but he’s too lazy to come and do it himself, hence why i’m here. and i saw you while looking for the,” doyoung looks at the piece of paper in his hand, “bio keemun tea? the fuck is that?”

taeil masks the chuckle threatening to escape him with a cough. “i’m pretty sure that’s opposite to where i am right now, doyoung. is that the only one your friend needs?”

the younger man shows him the list, composed of at least ten different types of tea. “i’ll go search for the rest. it was nice seeing you, hyung! i hope your… kids come soon.” with one more smile addressed to taeil, doyoung turns and heads for the shelves on the other side of the store. 

taeil doesn’t think much before he acts: he stands up and follows him, taking the piece of paper from doyoung and scanning over it quickly. 

“four eyes are better than just two, right?” taeil jokes. 

doyoung points at the elder’s glasses. “you mean six?” yelping, he ducks the sudden attack aimed at his head. 

“you’re lucky you’re nacho’s little helper, or else, god help me, i would’ve kicked you in the balls,” taeil grumbles, turning with his back at doyoung. he picks up one of the teas his friends wants and throws the paper bag at the vet’s head. 

doyoung smiles at him, even if taeil is too caught up in his search for the oolong tea, and blushes slightly. 

taeil thanks the gods once again that they didn’t make him a sad and oblivious main character. and he’s even more thankful that no one is crushing on him. 

* * *

_ “why didn’t you tell me you found yourself a boyfriend, hyung?” _ jisung asks the moment he picks up. his face is blurry for a few moments, but soon, taeil can clearly see his brother’s face. 

“because i don’t have one? why the hell didn’t you come to the tea shop? i was waiting for your dumb ass to come!”

_ “well i did come,” _ jisung says, matter of factly, _ “but you were too busy flirting with that bunny dude that you didn’t even notice me! i waved at you, hyung!” _

taeil rolls his eyes, putting nacho’s food in her bowl. he stands up again, after making sure nacho knows there is food for her. “i wasn’t flirting. he’s nacho’s vet, and it just so happened we met in the same shop.” jisung wants to protest, but the elder cuts him off quickly, “_and _ it’s not my fault _ you _ took forever to get there!”

_ “whatever, hyung. you’re older, it’s your fault,” _ jisung pouts at the camera. 

“brat.”

_ “anyway, school is kicking my ass, i think i’ll drop out of uni.” _

and so, the conversation shifts into taeil threatening to beat jisung up if he drops out and jisung mocking the elder’s words. 

* * *

nacho looks at the ultrasound screen, surprised. she doesn’t seem to have understood that she is pregnant, but the image of three, _ three_, little thingies in her belly is enough to convince her that she will be a mom.

“they seem to be growing properly,” doyoung says, moving the transducer probe around on nacho’s belly gently, making sure he sees every possible angle of the kittens. “i want to feel them and make sure that nacho is ok, but right now she’s a bit too stressed out, and i don’t want to put more on her shoulders.”

taeil frowns. “but you said they’re developing the right way. _ i _can see that. what complications could there be? why wouldn’t nacho be ok?” he’s getting more stressed out by the minute, and it doesn’t help that he’s been reading articles about fetal and maternal death and miscarriages whenever he has free time. 

doyoung’s hand reaches for his quickly, squeezing it tightly to bring the elder back from his spiralling panic. 

“i just want to make sure that her uterus is ok, that there’s no infection. i’m not going to let anything happen to her or the babies. don’t worry about it, i’ll be there when she gives birth to them.”

taeil takes a deep breath. “i don’t want her to be in pain, doyoung…”

“she’s not, and she won’t be in any type of abnormal pain during the next four weeks, ok?”

he nods, his hand reaching to pat nacho’s small head. she purrs, continuing to bump her head into the hand, her paws holding taeil close. 

* * *

** _sixth week. _ **

if he thought nacho was eating a lot two weeks ago, then the way she is inhaling her food right now is a sign of the apocalypse coming. after a week of barely touching whatever edible thing taeil gave her, the cat seems to have regained her appetite, which taeil is happy about. 

taeil isn’t surprised when he sees her take the food and leave on the balcony. he did read that the mother cat will try to make a nest in this period, but he didn’t expect to find her food being eaten by another cat. one that seems to be really close to nacho, by the way the cat pushes some of the tuna pieces towards her every time it wants to eat some more. 

the man crouches down, not wanting to scare the new guest. its fur is a pristine white, and taeil wonders just how it managed to keep it so clean, if it’s a stray. “who’s your new friend, baby?” he addresses the question to nacho. the cat blinks, meows, and lets herself roll closer to the other. she rubs her head into their belly, meowing loudly when the cat stops eating in favor of playing with her. 

“is he your boyfriend?” taeil _ swears _that nacho snorts and rolls her eyes, but he can’t be sure when her face is hidden by the impressively fluffy mane. “girlfriend then?” nacho pokes her head through the fur and meows happily, before going back behind it. 

“well then, if you and your girlfriend want to come inside, you can. but if she wants to live here she will have to visit doyoungie, ok?” his cat doesn’t pay him any mind, and with the way the two begin to play again, taeil takes it as his cue to leave inside. 

he makes sure that nacho’s crate is open, and shoots doyoung a text, telling him he may drop by the clinic with a new friend. he gets a simple question mark in response, but really, he would rather explain this situation in person, rather than through messages, so the brunet ignores it. 

he busies himself with cleaning while he waits for the two cats to come inside, rearranging some of the books he bought last time he went in a bookstore on a whim, even though he knows he will probably never come around to reading them. 

after years, probably decades, the cats come, nacho marching inside as if she owns the place (which, technically, she would, if taeil were to die in a horrible, unpredicted way) while her mate follows a few steps behind, still a bit unsure of whether or not to trust the small yet scary man dressed in booty shorts. 

“i think both of you can fit in the crate, if you don’t want to be alone with me,” taeil says, placing it in front of the felines. he holds his hand out for the cat to smell, not making any sudden moves. he wants her to trust him, after all. 

a few more sniffing, making sure that the human isn’t actually a dog in disguise, and with some encouraging meow-speech from nacho, the cat walks into the carrier. she sits into the corner, leaving most of the space empty for nacho to occupy. 

taeil closes the door.

* * *

the moment his eyes lay on doyoung’s slowly heating face, is the moment he realizes he left the house in his short shorts. the man plays it cool though, placing the carrier on doyoung’s check-up table and promptly ignoring the way his own face is getting redder. it’s not taeil’s fault that climate change is a thing, and it’s clearly not his fault that there is 30+ degrees in seoul right now. 

“can you check if she’s pregnant too? or if she has fleas or any type of infection?”

doyoung nods. “give me a moment, you go and wait with jeno outside, ok?” with a sigh, the elder goes to pick nacho up, but the moment he reaches for her, both of the cats hiss at him. “alright, just stay here and hold nacho, please.”

this time, hearing that the orange cat won’t leave, they don’t threaten to claw taeil’s eyes out when he takes her and sits down near the doctor. taeil almost dozes off during the examination, but nacho keeps a close eye on whatever doyoung is doing, tensing up any time the vet brings another unidentified object near her girlfriend. 

taeil feels a gentle hand on his shoulder, before he hears doyoung say, “she’s in great condition, hyung, no fleas or other parasites, no internal problems either. and she doesn’t seem to have a chip either, so she’s probably a stray too. do you want to keep her?”

he likes to imagine that if nacho could speak, she’d be screaming _ hell yeah _ in this moment. but since he is her spokesperson, he gives doyoung a tired _ whoop_, and tells him to put a collar on her and chip her, as well, since nacho would be devastated if the white cat were to disappear. 

“what do you want to call her, hyung?” doyoung asks, already opening the door to get one of the collars they keep in the hallway on display.

taeil thinks, but it’s not like he didn’t come up with the perfect name the moment he found out she’s nacho’s girlfriend. 

“i think cheese would fit her quite well,” he muses, loud enough for doyoung to hear. 

outside the room, there is a snort that turns into a boisterous laughter (jeno), a sigh (doyoung), and then the sound of a palm hitting something hard (doyoung’s palm hitting jeno’s head). meanwhile, cheese seems to be ok with her new name, jumping down from the table and coming to nacho to cuddle her some more. 

* * *

** _seventh week._ **

with each passing day, nacho gets _ rounder _ and _ rounder_, and taeil can’t take this anymore. his baby is even more adorable and he only wants to smother her with kisses and spoil her rotten. however, he can’t do that. he’s too scared of hurting her or the babies, even though doyoung kept on reassuring him it’s fine to rub her belly as long as he is _ gentle_. 

cheese, sadly, doesn’t get any rounder. she barely eats her food, always waiting for the pregnant little lady to feast before she would touch her own. taeil gets it. he used to do that with jisung when they were younger, letting the younger eat as much as he needed, making sure he is full before taking care of himself. he still does that, but now he watches over _ all _ of jisung’s friends, not just his brother. 

but with nacho being in her seventh week of pregnancy, her appetite gets lost here and there. he can’t blame her, there are three kitties pressing on her stomach. so with the decrease of her meals, cheese also stops eating, worrying over the cat’s health. taeil sometimes catches her push her bowl to nacho’s side, urging her to eat at least a few bites. he also catches nacho rolling her eyes but complying anyway. 

their dynamics remind taeil of sicheng and yuta, both of them having an uncanny resembling to cats. the thing with his friend and his _ almost _ lover is that taeil can’t guess who nacho is and who cheese is. 

his phone beeps from the kitchen, the loud sound scaring him. he’s still not used to it being off the silent mode. he leaves after he boops cheese’s nose one more time. 

it’s a simple text from doyoung, telling him he has some stuff nacho might like, but that he needs help in order to bring them over to the elder’s apartment. 

that stops taeil from writing the response. doyoung doesn’t have a car, meaning that all those times he stopped by his place to check on nacho he had to go back home on foot. he once stayed till midnight! taeil is a _ monster _ for making him walk home in the middle of the night! 

he shoots back a text to tell him he’ll be there in no time, and goes back to the living room, where both nacho and cheese are waiting. he kneels in front of them.

“i have to go get doyoungie, but i will be back before you know it ok?” the cats don’t seem to care, nacho choosing to lay down instead and go to sleep. so he gives the rest of his pep talk to cheese. “now, if anything happens, you go over to the bookshelf and meow to the camera i’ve set up for you. you can poke it too, but _ please _don’t break it again baby, i can’t afford a new one just yet. there is food in your bowl and you have enough water to last for a day. the bathroom door is open, you know where i put the toys nacho likes, they’re right next to yours… what else, what else, i feel like i’m forgetting something…” 

taeil scratches his head as he looks around. cheese meows, rather loudly as well, and pokes the pillow on which his knees are resting. their favorite pillow to sleep on, and most likely what nacho will use for her nest. 

“right!” he stands up. “there you go, babies, all set! please don’t break anything while i’m gone and please take care of each other, ok?” nacho snores in response, while cheese just blinks up at him. “right, you’re cats, you’ll turn the whole house upside down.” 

he pets them both one more time, being extra careful as to not wake nacho up when he does so, and then he leaves, locking the door with a sigh. 

the ride to doyoung’s apartment is normally short, maybe a twenty minute adventure if it’s the rush hour and he has to abstain from cursing various people for not knowing how to use their blinkers when they change lanes. but today, since he realized just how much of a _ monster _ he is, he stops by a bakery to buy some nice totally-not-an-apology cupcakes for the younger. and that alone adds about another fifteen minutes to the overall time. 

so really, the _ in no time _ part of his text was a big fat lie. he should just change his name to talie, if he thinks about it. 

he knocks once on doyoung’s door, but when there is yet to be an answer, he knocks again, this time a bit more forcefully. doyoung opens the door a second later, his hair a mess as if he’s been running his hands through it. or maybe pulling at the locks, taeil isn’t sure. 

“sorry, i can’t find ham and i’m going insane. i left his cage open but i fell asleep and he’s somewhere in the house and i--”

there is a tiny, almost inaudible sound coming from doyoung’s hood. taeil turns him around, so that he has access to it and sure enough, when he looks into the purple hood, there is a hamster looking up at him. he’s confused for a second, but then _ ham _ notices taeil’s hand reaching for him and he tries to run as far away as possible. 

he catches the little guy easily, holding it as he tries to run or fight him, he might be trying to do both. one can never be too sure with a small ferocious beast. taeil gives him to doyoung, not in the mood to be bitten. 

“ham solo, why did you hide in my hood? i could’ve crushed your fat ass, dumbass,” he scolds, but even when he’s trying to be an angry dad he still speaks in that baby voice with him. 

_ oh god, his pout is so cute, i wonder if i could kiss it_.

taeil looks around, alarmed. surely, he didn’t just think _ that_. why would he want to kiss doyoung? this is all the cupcakes’ fault! he gasps. _ the cupcakes_!

he thrusts the box into doyoung’s arms, ignoring the angry yelp he gets from ham. “these are for you!” he hurries to explain why he’s just shoving cupcakes into doyoung like that. “i didn’t know what type you like so i just went with a few safe options. three are gluten free, since you may be allergic. i mean, you ate my bread which _ did _ have gluten in it but maybe you were just faking it in order to not make me feel bad because i had white bread.” he’s rambling and _ someone _ needs to stop him before he says something dumber. 

“i like anything as long as i can fit it in my mouth,” doyoung says casually. though, as casually and innocently as it may sound, it still makes taeil choke on his spit. he steps aside from the entrance, silently inviting taeil inside. “now, can you please hold ham solo while i go put these in the fridge? the frosting seems to be melting already.” 

ham solo gets passed back to him, like a child with divorced parents during the summer holiday, but he’s long given up on fighting. he simply accepts his faith and slumps in the palms of taeil’s hands. 

taeil follows the younger inside, marvelling at the impressive array of cat toys, beds, food, anything a person could need to give their furry friend a great life. “why… do you have so many things? and why don’t you just keep them at the clinic?”

“a friend of mine gave most of it to me!”

“did their cat die or…”

“oh, no! minho just bought new things. and since most of these were hardly used, he spoils his cats rotten, to the point where that,” he points to the food set in the corner of the room, “is too bland for them and they want more… exotic foods.”

taeil takes a closer look at the state in which the living room is and declares, “if i ever end up like that with nacho and cheese and the babies, you have the right to punch me, doie.”

doyoung stops just by his side, their hands brushing slightly. “you’re already this bad, hyung. now help me take everything down to your car?”

“wait… you want us to carry _ all _of this? on all of the seven flights of stairs?”

the younger simply nods. he pushes his sleeves up, but after a moment of thinking, he just _ takes _ his hoodie _ off_. the heart attack taeil suffers is, however short lived as he catches sight of the shirt underneath quickly. 

“well then,” taeil speaks, placing ham solo back in his cage, “hope you can call nine-one-one when i eventually die from being overworked, doyoungie.”

he brushes him off. taeil’s eyes can only focus on the way his tattooed biceps flex when doyoung picks up a bag of cat food effortlessly. this will be a _ long _afternoon. 

* * *

before opening the door to his apartment, he quietly prays that everything is intact. he hears doyoung shifting behind him, and taeil feels bad for making him hold those impossibly heavy boxes for more than necessary. 

he finally pushes it open, letting doyoung be the first to step inside. a gasp coming from the younger _ almost _ makes him drop the canned food. he rushes after him, but taeil only manages to bump into his still body. the canned food _ is _dropped. 

cheese and nacho are sleeping on top of jisung. it’s such an adorable sight that taeil has to bite his tongue, just to stop from cooing at them. none of them seem to hear them shuffle around, putting box after box on the ground. they’re in such a deep slumber that even when taeil curses loudly at stabbing his toe in the door, they still don’t make a move. 

taeil guides doyoung into the kitchen. the younger, already used to everything around his house, grabs two mugs from the cupboards. taeil watches him carefully as he moves around gracefully, filling his tea pot with water, measuring tea and honey to a precise that can only match his. 

doyoung sets the mug down, the hot liquid a pale brown. he added just how much milk he likes in his black tea, and taeil doesn’t know how to feel. no one ever got around to making his leave juice to a perfection. 

taeil sips it. it’s not too hot to burn his tongue, not overly sweet, infused just right. it’s perfect. 

_ i want him to make me tea whenever i’m sad. he could probably give me cuddles too… _

taeil fights back the blush and continues to drink his tea. this is just because he saw his three babies being cute. he’s not catching feelings for someone who doesn’t even like him back. 

the door opens just a bit, nacho waddling into the kitchen. she heads straight to doyoung, pawing at his leg until he picks her up. she likes to just sit in his lap, back resting against his chest. while doyoung rubs her belly. 

taeil thinks she’s a spoiled queen, but given the opportunity, he wouldn’t pass staying in doyoung’s lap as the younger strokes _ his _ belly. in a _ totally _ platonic way. 

he decides to just watch the way doyoung’s tattoos peek from under his shirt, trying to put together what they could actually represent. he still has no idea, but he’s willing to figure it out. 

* * *

** _eighth week._ **

taeyong isn’t usually one to be exasperated with taeil. that’s sicheng and sometimes his own brother. but taeyong? he is willing to listen to him rant and rant about whatever he wants, listening and giving heartfelt advice where he thinks he may have a solution. 

today, however, after listening to taeil talk about doyoung (he didn’t mean to. the conversation started off with them talking about the new bakery taeyong’s been interested in) for the past twenty minutes, taeyong snaps. 

“hyung you fucking like him! stop being a coward and tell him how you feel!”

taeil stares at his friend with a betrayed look on his face. he _ doesn’t _like doyoung. he would know if he did! so, being the petty child that he is, he shoots back, “i’ll accept that when you realize that you’re actually in love with johnny and that both of you are acting like a married couple already.”

“i don’t _ love _ johnny! i love his _ dick_. we both agreed to be… friends with benefits. there’s nothing more to our relationship.” taeyong shrugs, a pout forming on his lips. “he thinks only i’m a slut anyway.”

taeil’s hand reaches for taeyong’s, rubbing comforting circles on the back of his palm. “hey, you know that’s not true. we talked about this, yongie. just because you like sex it doesn’t mean you’d sleep with anyone.”

“yeah, but--”

“how many people did you fuck since you started seeing johnny for your _ meetings_?”

“just jaehyunnie and tennie… but it happened while johnny was there…”

“you know what i think, yong?” taeil asks, standing up from his chair. taeyong looks at him, but doesn’t say anything. “that you need some sugar. i’ll go buy you some strawberry shortcake, how does that sound?”

taeyong smiles, small and shy, as a pretty blush spreads across his face. “thanks, hyung.”

“anything for this big baby,” he says with a smile, ruffling taeyong’s blond hair. “i’ll be back in ten minutes. you want me to get you that oreo frappuccino too?” 

“please!” 

“buy me a coffee too, hyung!” sicheng shouts from the kitchen, where taeil _ knows _he is already drinking coffee. 

“get me a bagel too, hag!” seungwan yells, _ right in his ear_. taeil almost has a heart attack, and he swears his life flashes in front of his eyes. there’s a _ lot _of cats in his life, damn. 

“i’ll buy you two stuff when you act nice to me!” he says, pushing past the woman and heading to the elevator. 

sicheng appears in front of him, a cup of coffee in his hand. he says, “doyoung likes you and he really, _ really _ wants to fuck you. just confess and get the d, hyung.” he gives taeil a one dollar bill. “i want a soy latte, please, with caramel syrup.”

taeil gives it back. “yuta likes you and he really, _ really _ wants to fuck you. just confess and get the ass, chengie,” he parrots back. not waiting for sicheng’s reaction, he gets inside the lift. 

he can see the redness on his face as the doors close.

* * *

when he gets back to the office, taeyong is nowhere to be seen. he puts the food on his desk, hoarding off the two hungry idiots who tried to steal it. the younger walks out of johnny’s office ten minutes later with the biggest smile on his face. 

“johnny and i… we’re together,” he says, voice sounding soft. taeil smiles at him and points to the paper bag that’s still on the table. “thanks, hyung. you should listen to my advice though. go tell doyoung you like him. there’s nothing for you to lose.”

his smile tightens. “i really don’t like doie, taeyong. he’s just a friend.”

“if you say so, hyung.”

* * *

the middle of the night is when people think of the most stupid scenarios, coming up with intricate future plans, creating worlds in which everything is perfectly fine, where they can be happy. taeil is like that too, most of the time just exploring the limits of his imagination, seeing what he can come up with in this delirious state. it’s a coping mechanism, really. 

more often than not, he just imagines himself living in a big house, filled with plants and animals, the epitome of his minecraft dream house. sometimes, there is even a faceless figure in the background, kissing him softly in the dark, petting his hair and telling him how much they love him. 

he doesn’t know how it happens, but soon enough, the figure takes on a familiar face. it starts to look like doyoung more and more with each day that passes. taeil is waiting for the day when his imagination will run loose and do something regrettable. 

it happens sooner than later.

_ the doyoung in his fantasy greets taeil with a smile, pulling him close into an innocent hug. they stay like that for a while, just taeil’s mind going numb at the prospect of being held with such love and adoration. _

_ fantasy-doyoung runs his hands over taeil’s sides, stopping right above his ass. they don’t squeeze, they don’t even touch. they’re… just there. it’s fantasy-taeil that makes the move. he grinds on doyoung’s leg, movements shy at first, before doyoung encourages him to continue. _

_ “go on, baby. you want to feel good, right? you’ve had a long day, after all. you deserve this, kitten.” _

_ taeil moans loudly, his hips snapping forward, trying to get at least a bit of friction. doyoung’s hand pulls on his hair, making him tilt his head back. the younger presses kisses on the exposed skin, biting down _ ** _hard_ ** _ when he feels taeil’s pace getting hectic. _

_ “cum for me, love.” _

taeil opens his eyes wide, staring at the ceiling. his shorts are wet, the spot in the front smeared with the disgusting evidence of what just happened. 

he takes his pants off, throwing them on the ground. he will deal with them in the morning. for now, he has to deal with the realization that he does like doyoung in a non-platonic way. _ shit_. 

* * *

besides being petty, taeil is also very dumb. he decides to more or less avoid doyoung, but his plan backfires to the point where doyoung has to stop him from leaving without goodbye after one of nacho’s check-ins. 

“why are you avoiding me?” he asks, voice low, so that jeno and the waiting patients outside don’t hear him. 

“i’m not?” he phrases it more like a question. a dead giveaway he _ is _actually avoiding doyoung. 

doyoung sighs. ”look, hyung, if i made you uncomfortable in any way during these past weeks, i’m sorry. i’ll just go back to being nacho’s vet and nothing more. i apologize again, hyung,” he says, head hung low. 

“no!” taeil raises his voice without meaning to. “i mean-- it’s not your fault doie! the whole pregnancy is stressing me out, the fact that nacho _ and _ cheese don’t eat much-- i just don’t want to burden you anymore than i already have.” it’s not a complete lie. he really doesn’t enjoy bothering doyoung with his minute problems.

“i didn’t say you’re a burden. like, _ ever_. i like having you and the kitties around. so please don’t make decisions for me, hyung. i want you in my life as much as i want jeno out!” doyoung grins when he sees the small smile on taeil’s face. 

“you kind of love jeno more than the whole world, doie. it’s not a good metaphor,” taeil laughs softly. “but i’m sorry for pushing myself out.”

“and i’m sorry for not telling you how much you mean to me, hyung.” 

there is an awkward pause, but then doyoung pulls him in his arms, nacho’s carrier being the only thing that stops them from hugging properly. taeil finds himself not caring that doyoung doesn’t like him in the same way he likes the younger. at least he has a friend, and that’s the most important part. 

* * *

** _ninth week. _ **

this is what he’s been preparing for. blog after blog, video after video, making sure he knows what and what not to do when the babies will be coming. he’s confident he will be able to help nacho. there will be absolutely zero complications, taeil will be totally calm and not surviving on coffee and energy drinks. 

everything is a lie, he’s dying, his white hairs are getting out of hand and he’s stress eating anything that falls in his hands. he asked johnny for a break, to make sure that he will be there in case nacho needs his help, but with him being home all day, every day, taeil is going insane. 

every little sound, each step and meow, sends him into panic. he’s not ready to bring babies in the world and he isn’t even the one actually doing the hard part. 

he calls doyoung, on his third sleepless night, begging him to come over, _ with ham solo and everything because i’m not letting you leave until there are three perfectly health kittens in my house_. doyoung listens to him, because, well, he’s just that whipped for the elder. he’s knocking on taeil’s door an hour later. 

doyoung sets ham solo’s cage down, both of the cats take an interest to it. they watch the hamster running around, heads snapping from side to side. ham notices them, and _ stops_. he’s frozen in front of his wheel, and cheese isn’t one bit happy with it. she hits the cage with her paw, enjoying the way ham runs to hide. 

“ok, you’re going to sleep,” doyoung points at him, “and i’m going to clean everything and set up nacho’s corner.” he takes the cage and places it out of the cat’s reach. “and i won’t take no as answer, so shoo.”

taeil doesn’t seem to understand what doyoung just said. 

“hyung, if you don’t go to your bedroom right now and sleep, i _ will _carry you there.”

now, almost on autopilot, taeil moves, bumping into his door before he can use his dead brain to open it. he takes the three steps to his bed and falls, face first, in the unmade mess of blankets and pillows. 

he’s asleep before he can even register the blanket being draped over him. 

* * *

taeil wakes up to quiet and darkness. the door is shut, the curtains are pulled as well. he has to take a few moments to register that he’s not actually alone in the apartment, and that in the living room, doyoung is probably taking care of his babies. he should get out and go help the younger, but his body is so tired and everything hurts. taeil can’t help but fall asleep again.

* * *

the second time he wakes up, it’s to huffs and loud meowing coming from behind the closed door. his brain isn’t fully awake yet, but still manages to jump out of bed without falling. taeil runs out the bedroom only to find doyoung speaking softly to nacho. nacho who is giving birth. oh _ god_, he abandoned doyoung in time of need!

taeil _ bolts _ to doyoung’s side. “oh my god, are they here? is she ok? are they actually three? where is cheese? baby, are you good? you want some water? doyoung why is she heaving? is she gonna throw up her babies? what _ is _happening?” 

the younger puts his arm around taeil’s shoulder, gently pulling him next to him. his voice is just as soft as when he was talking to nacho. “you need to calm down. you’re stressing her out even more. nacho is in labor right now, she’s been at it for half an hour now. they should arrive soon, by the looks of it. if you can help me then do stay here, but if you’re just going to annoy her, please go back to sleep, hyungie.”

taeil calms down slightly, taking a deep breath. “ok, tell me what to do.”

doyoung beams at him. “you have to check the time whenever a baby is born. it will be 30 and 40 minutes between each of them. make sure to wear the rubber gloves. let _ me _ tear the sac if nacho doesn’t do it herself, and prepare wet towels. we’re gonna need to wipe the placenta from the kittens but only if nacho doesn’t eat all of it. and give me that dental floss. it’s for the umbilical cord. nacho may not be able to chew it off, so we’ll have to intervene. that’s about it all. can i trust you to not panic?”

“yes, doie.”

“good.” nacho beings to wail, her breathing getting more frantic. “alright then. let’s bring these kitties to the world, mama.”  


* * *

the first kitten, a beautiful baby boy with black spots on his back, is born at almost eight in the morning. it’s the grossest and most beautiful thing taeil’s ever seen. nacho is doing a great job at pushing them out, breaking the sac with whatever power she has left so that her kittens can breathe. 

doyoung doesn’t look scared at all, handling the situation better than taeil could’ve ever. he’s glad the younger agreed to come help him, even if he didn’t really give him a choice. 

the second baby, this time an orange tabby girl, arrives at nine. taeil can see just how tired nacho is already when she has trouble breaking the sac. thankfully, doyoung is there to help, taking the newborn kitten from nacho and cleaning her himself and he’s sure she can breathe as well.

the third and final kitten is born soon after. he has one single brown spot near his tail, while the rest of his fur is white. he rushes to get to food as soon as doyoung puts him back down. 

now, nacho has three very loud kids, sucking all the milk she’s been producing lately dry. she doesn’t seem to mind, too busy licking them clean and purring when cheese finally joins her side again. 

“holy shit, girl. you did all of this!” taeil whisper yells, petting her head gently with one finger. “you’re such a good girl, baby! you can rest now, we’ll take care of them if you want.”

nacho blinks tiredly, letting her head fall on top of cheese’s body. taeil takes it as his cue to leave them alone, so he goes to where doyoung is writing down the kittens’ information. 

“thank you for helping, doie,” he says, just now noticing the dark circles under doyoung’s eyes. 

“no biggie. i love her to death, i’d literally do anything for her and… and cheese.”

he doesn’t know what spirit takes over him when he asks, “and not for me?”

doyoung blushes, an adorable shade of pink adorning his cheeks. “i’d always do anything for you, hyung.”

there is an undeniable amount of bravery, stupid, stupid bravery clouding his mind, because he finds himself saying, “i like you.”

doyoung stills, eyes fixed on his own hands. neither dares to break the silence. the most _ uncomfortable _ minutes of taeil’s life follow. but then, then the younger asks, his voice barely above a whisper, “in what way?”

“in a romantic way.”

“i like you too, hyung,” doyoung confesses. 

“cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, _ neat_, great, this is normal, yes, i am not freaking ou--”

doyoung kisses him to shut him up, his hand grasping taeil’s arm, while the other one rests on the back of his neck. “you talk so much when you’re nervous,” he says against the elder’s lips. 

“then how about you keep kissing me whenever i start blabbering?”

“you’ve got yourself a deal, pretty,” he whispers, sealing it all off with a gentle kiss. 

* * *

** _ approximately one year later_ **

jisung sets one of the last boxes on the ground. he lets out a _ long _ sigh, his back cracking when he straightens. “damn, you have too much shit, hyung,” he tells taeil, laughing as he catches the sight of his older brother struggling to get two of his own boxes inside. 

“shut up, brat, or i’ll push you down the stairs.”

“you won’t~” jisung sing-songs, just as the door opens again, this time doyoung, beautiful, smart, _ sweaty _doyoung coming in, his arms bare. he’s been keen of sleeveless crop tops lately, something that taeil blames donghyuck for. he’s also wearing shorts, his calf tattoos free for the world to see as well. 

“sungie, stop annoying your brother. you know he _ will _actually throw you down the stairs.” he walks over to taeil, kissing his cheek lightly. taeil has to stop himself from melting in the younger’s arms. 

“ew you’re being gross again. don’t make me yell for sicheng-hyung to come and rescue me!” jisung yells when taeil heads towards him, arms outstretched, wanting to give his brother a good ol’ smooch. jisung runs out, yelling after sicheng that the hags are being disgusting again. 

doyoung pulls him back in his arms. it’s so domestic that taeil finds it to be heaven. the elder’s fingers trace the designs on doyoung’s arms, admiring the fine details of it. his personal favorite is the chemical formula of love. it’s right next to a moth, which taeil finds fitting for him. he did come to learn just how much doyoung loves his moths. 

his finger stops when it reaches the small family of kittens he has on his arm. nacho, cheese, avocado, cream, and cherry. even though cherry is no longer with them. he’s still bitter about agreeing to give sicheng a cat. ham is also there, though he is a lot smaller than the cats. 

“i love you, you know?” doyoung says, nudging taeil’s nose with his own. 

“i love you too, baby. but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re bringing up the scratching post for the cats,” taeil whispers, before kissing him shortly. 

sometimes, with the way doyoung whines, taeil thinks he’s dating a child. but then he remembers certain… things about doyoung and that idea gets thrown out the window.

“now come on, love. we still have a bunch of things to get in our home.”

doyoung beams at him, as bright as the sun and just as warm too. taeil can’t help it. he falls in love even more. 


End file.
